Accused killer Brian Kohberger arrived at Pennsylvania court today for an extradition hearing, scheduled to take place this afternoon.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the hearing is set for 3:30 p.m. in Monroe County, where 28-year-old Kohberger was arrested early Friday morning. Kohbeger is a doctoral student and teaching assistant in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University.
He’s accused of killing Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, on November 13. The victims were all stabbed to death inside an off-campus rental home, near the University of Idaho.
Kohberger arrived at the courthouse shackled at the wrists and wearing a red jail jumpsuit, while police escorted him into the building.
Jason LaBar, Monroe County’s chief public defender, previously said that Kohberger is eager to be exonerated and plans to waive his right to extradition in Tuesday’s hearing.
“Mr. Kohberger is eager to be exonerated of these charges and looks forward to resolving these matters as promptly as possible,” LaBar told CNN.
“He believes he’s going to be exonerated. That’s what he believes. Those were his words,” he told NBC News.
If Kohberger waives his right to extradition, his transport to face charges in Idaho will be expedited.
Extradition is the formal process through which a suspected fugitive for a crime in one state who is arrested in a different state is transported back to the state where the crime occurred to face charges.
LaBar told reporters that the hearing is a “formality proceeding” where the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania just needs to prove that Kohberger resembles the suspect in the murders.
“Because of obviously the attention of this case, I assume Idaho is prepared and ready to transport him back already,” LaBar told CBS.
Once Kohberger returns to Idaho and makes an initial appearance in an Idaho court, the affidavit used to secure the probable cause for his arrest can be unsealed, under Idaho law, and the details of the investigation and the arrest will become public.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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[Featured image: Bryan Kohberger/Monroe County Correctional Facility]
